Reece off to a good start; Allen impressed

Marcel Reece still won’t come out and say he wants some of since-departed Michael Bush’s rushing attempts. But the versatile fullback made a trio of impressive catches Tuesday and was showing a nice burst whenever he had the ball. He seems poised to earn some more carries, especially in short-yardage situations.

“I have been impressed with Marcel Reece,” coach Dennis Allen said. “He is an exceptional athlete. His role will be decided when we get the pads on.”

Reece, on his fourth coach in five years, said he “always wants to be an impact player” but doesn’t get into what role he thinks is available or what role he wants.

“I will do whatever they ask me to do,” he said.

Briefly: Running back Mike Goodson tweaked his hamstring and tight end Richard Gordon injured his hip at Tuesday afternooon’s practice. … The practice went exactly two hours and forty minutes, the same at Monday’s first practice. Just structure, baby. … DeMarcus Van Dyke had another good day, running with the first team in place of injured cornerback Ron Bartell. Bartell (hamstring), linebacker Aaron Curry (knee), punter Shane Lechler (knee) and defensive tackle Travis Ivey (conditioning) all sat out again. … Today, the team puts on pads for the first time and starts hitting. “We’re going to go play football,” Allen said, “the way the game was meant to be played.”